Surrender and Rescue Information & Resources

The Pat Brody Shelter receives an overwhelming
number of calls and emails each day from people asking us to take in cats.
As a limited door shelter, we only have so much space, so unfortunately, we are
unable to help everyone. We try to focus on helping the stray/abandoned
cats & kittens that have no place to go, rather than the household pet
surrenders.

The three most common reasons we hear that people want
to surrender their cats are because they are moving, someone in the family
has allergies, or the cat has a behavioral problem.

IF YOU ARE MOVING
Please do not abandon your cat because you are moving.
Please plan ahead and start looking early so that you can take your cat
with you to your new apartment. There are many landlords that will allow cats.
Please follow this link to the MSPC A web site for their Pets in Housing
page, which includes advice and links.
http://www.mspca.org

WHEN FURRY FAMILY MEMBERS GET LEFT BEHIND
AND HOW YOU CAN HELP THEMFor families who may be at risk of losing their home, a
foreclosure will typically come with a variety of stressful changes.
Jobs, schools, friends and the familiarities of your home and
neighborhood will often get left behind. And its not just the human
members of the family that feel the brunt of the changes.
Here is a
complete guide on how to handle pets during foreclosure situations.

IF SOMEONE IN THE FAMILY HAS ALLERGIES
Being allergic doesn't mean that you can't have a pet
or that you must give up one you already have. Even if your doctor finds
that you have an allergy, don't give up your pet so
quickly! Please visit the following web site, which has some great
information about allergies and what you can do so that you are able to
keep your cat: http://www.allerpet.com/

IF YOUR CAT HAS A BEHAVIORAL PROBLEM
The shelter is unable to take in cats that have
behavior problems that make them unadoptable. Read through the behavior section of our website for some tips
relating to common behavior problems to see if you can solve the problem
on your own. If you still need advice, please email us at pbs@catsontheweb.org
with detailed information about the situation and we will forward your
message to our cat behavior specialist to see if she can respond to you
with additional advice.

SOME NOTES ABOUT SENIOR CATS
A cat is usually classified as a "senior" when
they are 8 years or older. It is best to avoid taking a cat this age to
any shelter, as they have usually lived in the same home for many years,
and the stress of a shelter is more than they can handle. Even
though we feel we are a good shelter, many cats this age will lose the
will to live in spite of the love of the 70+ volunteers here.
Many times, they will refuse to eat and develop liver disease or
other serious problems. In addition, senior cats are very difficult to adopt out since most people are looking to adopt kittens or cats that are
around 1-2 years old. If you have a senior cat that you absolutely cannot
keep, the best thing you can do is try to place him/her directly into a
new home.

TIPS FOR PLACING YOUR CAT IN A NEW HOME
A good way to start is to ask everybody (friends, family members,
co-workers, neighbors, EVERYBODY) you know if they are willing to give
your cat a home. If you have no luck this way, the next thing you should
do is make up a flyer with a nice, close-up picture of your cat and
details about the cat's personality and the type of home he/she would do
best in. Highlight your kitty's best qualities. Post this flyer up at all
the vet's offices in your area. The best pet owners can be found there and
many people will see your flyers. You might also try posting the flyer at
your work, gym, or church bulletin board.

Another
resource for placing your cat is
www.petfinder.com.
Click on classified ads and you can post an ad for your cat. If someone
responds, it's always a good idea to ask for a vet reference and a small
adoption fee.

OTHER NO-KILL SHELTERS IN MA
Here is a list of
other no-kill shelters in MA that you could try. Be sure to confirm with
the shelter that they are no-kill before sending your cat there.